Chapter 279

Jiang Jiang Qinge's strike was like a blazing sun descending from the sky, dazzling beyond measure, and all the gazes within the outpost could not help but be drawn to it.

The expressions of Du Ze Duze Honglian, Senior Qiu Bai, Tian Tian, and others subtly changed—first stunned by the ferocity of Jiang Jiang Qinge's strike, second by her sudden initiative targeting the Smiling Demon.

That was a Great Catastrophe-class aberration, comparable to the peak of the Heavenly Gang General rank!

Even if Jiang Jiang Qinge's Ninth Rank Light Form was even more tyrannical, how could she possibly fight across a rank?

And if her strike this time failed to land a blow, she would surely face a counterattack from the Smiling Demon; should Jiang Jiang Qinge be shattered, it would be a massive blow to both our strength and morale.

But at this moment, Jiang Jiang Qinge was already an arrow loosed from the bow, so all their worries were useless—they could only hold their breath, eyes locked on that streak of sun crossing the sky.

Yet admittedly, though no one knew how Jiang Jiang Qinge's sudden strike would end, her action had nonetheless lifted the outpost's morale.

All eyes turned toward her.

Li Luo was watching too—the blazing sun slicing through the air, so brilliant it blinded, that slender, elegant silhouette radiating an overwhelming, tyrannical aura.

The light blue short cloak fluttering in the wind, crisp and sharp.

Qing!

Amid the crisp sound of her sword being drawn, a lustrous glow erupted across Jiang Jiang Qinge's slender frame, making her already jade-smooth skin even clearer, untainted by dust.

Behind her, Du Ze Duze Honglian, Senior Qiu Bai, and others narrowed their pupils.

"Lustrous Gray Body… she's reached the peak of the Gray Body stage…"

"Such a rapid cultivation speed!"

Other students might not understand what the lustrous glow emanating from Jiang Jiang Qinge's body signified, but as Earthly Gang Generals, they knew perfectly well.

It meant her constitution, refined by Earthly Gang Qi, was nearing perfection.

This indicated Jiang Jiang Qinge was now merely one step away from the Heavenly Gang General rank.

Du Ze Duze Honglian's gaze was complex—no wonder rumors said Jiang Jiang Qinge would challenge the Seven Star Pillars by year's end; she was already this close to the Heavenly Gang General rank, while they had barely entered the first stage of the Earthly Gang General rank.

Jiang Jiang Qinge's advancement was faster than they'd imagined.

Such talent truly left those trying to catch up feeling powerless—was the Ninth Rank Light Form truly this tyrannical?

Wum!

The blazing, sunlike blade slashed down, and the earth beneath her silently split open into a deep trench, its sides mirror-smooth, with blue smoke rising, carrying intense heat.

The sunlike blade reflected in the Smiling Demon's crimson eyes—it did not dodge, only its grotesque smile deepened further.

Zhong Jie!

It even emitted a strange laugh at this moment.

It seemed unsurprised by Jiang Jiang Qinge's sudden assault.

Jiang Jiang Qinge sensed it too—her eyes flickered slightly—was the Smiling Demon deliberately exposing a weakness to lure her into attacking?

Truly cunning and ruthless.

Though an aberration, its mind was more complex and cold than even a human's.

Yet at this moment, Jiang Jiang Qinge showed no panic; her expression remained unmoved, the Light Form power surging along the blade growing fiercer, more tyrannical.

Hu!

The Smiling Demon opened its mouth, lined with black spines, as if inhaling deeply.

Hong Hong!

In the next instant, the clay figures on nearby mounds trembled—rolling black smoke erupted from within them, surging rapidly into the Smiling Demon's body.

Its previously weakened power surged instantly.

Simultaneously, within the outpost, Li Luo and the others noticed the polluted ones' strength rapidly diminishing—clearly, the power boost was being siphoned away.

Worse still, what was being drained was also their own original strength.

"Seize the chance! Bind and suppress all the polluted!" Li Luo roared—it was the opportunity Jiang Jiang Qinge had risked her life to create.

Everyone responded in unison, launching powerful Form attacks that swiftly drowned the polluted ones.

But outside the outpost, the Smiling Demon's power rapidly recovered, and it shrieked—a sonic wave like a raging tide, shaking the void.

It slammed one palm forward—beneath that palm, darkness seemed to swallow heaven and earth; though merely an ordinary strike, it made all feel as if the entire world had been covered.

Beneath the darkness, all was obliterated.

Yet within the darkness, only that sunlike sword blade still radiated light, dispelling the dark, slashing downward.

One blade, one palm—fiercely colliding.

Hong!

A staggering energy shockwave erupted at that moment, centered on Jiang Jiang Qinge and the Smiling Demon—the ground around them was peeled away layer by layer, the swirling black mist utterly shredded.

Other aberrations nearby were instantly shattered into wisps of black vapor.

Within the outpost, many gazes turned toward the source of the violent energy shock—and their expressions changed, for they all saw: that sunlike sword beam was now being slowly cracked by the dark hand.

Clearly, Jiang Jiang Qinge's power still had an undeniable gap from that of the Smiling Demon.

Zhong Jie Zhong Jie! Gu Gu!

The Smiling Demon let out a piercing laugh, then its black palm clenched tightly—accompanied by a crackling sound, the blazing, tyrannical sunlike blade shattered.

"Captain, retreat quickly!" Senior Qiu Bai and Tian Tian cried out, faces pale.

Li Luo's eyes locked on Jiang Jiang Qinge's figure, his hands gripping the twin blades trembling slightly—he forced himself to hold back the urge to rush out, knowing his strength would only burden Jiang Jiang Qinge.

Within the outpost, cries of alarm rose continuously.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Jiang Qinge did not retreat—her golden pupils reflected the shattered sunlike blade, her face still calm, as if this outcome had been expected.

This strike could not harm the Great Catastrophe-level Smiling Demon.

So she did not retreat—she stepped forward.

Her slender hand reached out, sweeping across the blade's edge.

Crimson blood sprayed, landing upon the blade's glow.

At that instant, the shattering of the sword-light suddenly intensified, as if an extremely scorching aura was rising from the broken sword-light, and that sacred aura caused the bizarre, exaggerated smile on the Smiling Demon's face to falter for a moment.

Immediately, it directly slapped a palm toward Jiang Jiang Qinge.

In its palm, astonishing evil-thought power compressed and condensed, as if forming a black vortex capable of swallowing and drowning any attack.

Jiang Jiang Qinge took a deep breath, as if golden airflow circulated through her nose and breath, her eyes slightly closed, her slender jade hand reached out, plunged into the broken sword-light, and suddenly grabbed out a feather of light that seemed to be burning with fire.

"Blazing Saint Feather, all things impure, burn them, purify them."

On Jiang Jiang Qinge's delicate body, an overbearing flame rose that made one feel horrified; that flame was so sacred, as if it could burn away all the filth in the world.

The feather of light swept down like sword-light.

It actually evaded the Smiling Demon's attack, and instead slashed directly at its face.

What a fierce posture of risking one's life in combat.

Between the two choices of preserving herself and killing the enemy, Jiang Jiang Qinge directly chose the latter.

Jiang Jiang Qinge's choice clearly caught the Smiling Demon greatly off guard as well, but at this point defense was already too late; in the end, it could only watch helplessly as that feather of light burning with sacred flame slashed down like sword-light.

The instant its palm struck Jiang Jiang Qinge, that feather of light also cleaved onto its bizarre smiling face.

Inside the stronghold, every gaze looked at this scene, and time itself seemed to freeze at this instant.